The holiday season brings joy and togetherness, but it also carries an added layer of stress - especially for employers.
People want to take time off to spend time with their families. They run into childcare glitches. Their to-do lists get longer with holiday obligations.
On top of all that, it's the season when colds, flu, and other transmittable illnesses begin to ramp up.
How can you prevent call-offs and stay fully staffed throughout this challenging season? Consider these 9 Tips To Prevent Call-Offs During the Holidays:
- Create a holiday calendar: Share a company-wide holiday schedule with key dates and deadlines, enabling employees to plan their time off around peak periods.
- Use a call-off system: Implement a reliable call-off or absence reporting system that requires employees to notify the appropriate channels as early as possible.
- Plan ahead: Encourage employees to request time off well in advance, allowing ample time for scheduling adjustments and ensuring adequate coverage.
- Offer flexible scheduling: Allow employees to choose from flexible work hours or remote work options during the holidays, accommodating their personal commitments.
- Provide seasonal benefits: Consider offering special perks or benefits during the holiday season, such as gift cards, bonuses, or extra vacation days for top performers.
- Give additional time off: Consider offering extra vacation days or half-days to employees who demonstrate consistent attendance throughout the holiday season.
- Cross-train employees: Ensure that multiple employees are trained in critical roles so the absence of one person doesn't cause significant disruptions.
- Keep your team healthy: Encourage employees to take care of their physical and mental health, reducing the chance of illness over the holidays. Educate employees on preventive measures like vaccinations.
- Lean on your staffing partner! Plan ahead by discussing your holiday staffing challenges well ahead of need. They can help you put a strategy in place to ensure you can keep up with the workload no matter what the season may bring. A staffing agency can provide a mix of temporary, flexible, or part-time employees to accommodate varying workloads or schedules during the holidays.
Depend on your staffing agency to:
- Quickly replace absent employees.
- Prescreen candidates.
- Manage seasonal demand.
- Reduce overtime costs.
- Lessen stress on your core team.
By implementing these tips, you can maintain a strong and reliable workforce during the holiday season, ensuring a successful and stress-free end-of-year period.
If you get blind-sided and don't have a chance to implement a proactive plan, that's okay! You can reach out to your staffing partner for last-minute help, too. They are always happy to make time for you.